INS Hanit: Stories From the Sea (Part #1)

On my trip, I finally had the opportunity to approach someone with a number of questions I have accumulated over the last many years regarding the effectiveness of stealth at sea. I was rather disappointed at how much information I was unable to get, but I do understand the reasons. In the process of inquiring about stealth tech for ships, I was however able to ask and get confirmation of one specific event that has peeked my interest on the only known combat event involving stealth at sea.

Last July when the Iranian version of the C-802 missile hit the Sa'ar 5 Israeli corvette Hanit, a number of people started asking a number of questions. The fallout of information included confirmation that the INS Hanit was not operating its anti-aircraft defense systems, there was no detection or warning of the missile, and that only 4 crew was lost despite a major fire at the end of the ship that completely burned out the sleeping quarters of a number of sailors. The final report by Brig. General (Res.) Nir Maor implicated human error, not technology, as the main factor in the attack, and yet no one was fired... hmm.

At the end of the day (or should I say Sabbath eve?), casual and educated observers alike were left looking for answers. Why were there so few casualties? Why was the damage apparently so limited the ship was able to return to shore under its own power, and return to duty within 3 weeks? Finally, how effective is the C-802 used in that attack and how effective was stealth? I know a number of industry folks who love discussions on those two questions.

Well, after an extended discussion while on my trip, I was personally convinced that the only story told online specifically regarding the incident is at minimum, true. Apparently, the Israeli Naval Service is convinced through a combination of recovered debris and electronic signature the weapon was indeed a C-802. The guidance system of the weapon appears to be radar only. This implied to me the C-802s fired last year were of the variant built by Iran, not China, at least in their eyes. Additionally, the claim by the Jamestown foundation of a second attack involving C-802s on August 1st, 2006 is also legitimate. I am personally ready to accept these claims as a legitimate starting point, but it still leaves questions.

At first I thought the story was true, but then I wasn't so sure after research at the time, and some critical comments regarding the word of a 3rd party. But after my recent confirmations, and now that I have more fully researched the credentials of the original storyteller, the answers I have been given personally, and the questions yet to be unanswered, it would appear the story may have some merit after all.

Oh, you didn't catch the story I am talking about? Rambo Rabbi Brody Lazer, a man with a very interesting history, who has been recognized for his individual credibility and honesty in the past, tells the tale....

Read it, chew on it, is it legit, or am I nuts?

Yesterday, a young Israeli Naval sergeant boarded the northbound train in Tel Aviv. I was on my way to a moshav in the Haifa area and he was returning to his base in the Haifa port. He sat down across from me, looking at me intently while I was learning my Gemorra. I looked up at him, smiled, said "Shalom aleichem!"

He sighed deeply, as if relieved, and sheepishly asked, "Can I talk to you, Rav?"

"Of course," I answered, asking him how he knows that I'm a "rav". He said that he heard me eulogize one of his fallen friends during the recent war. The sailor had a relatively new beard, an almost new knitted kippa on his head, and the beautifully pure innocence in his eyes of a new Ba'al Tshuva. To make a long story short, he was a crewman on board the Hanit when it was hit in Beirut.

The sailor, who we'll call Moshe, began to relate the dozens of miracles that happened aboard the Hanit the night that it was hit. "It was Friday night. Usually, the crew would eat Friday night dinner in two shifts. But this time, since we were in a war zone, our three religious crewmen went to Lt. Col. A - the skipper - and begged that we all need Hashem's help. The first miracle is that the skipper agreed to leave only 4 sailors on the bridge, and allowed the whole entire crew to pray together; we piled into the chapel, and said a lengthy mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat. I was bored and wanted to eat quickly then catch a few hours sleep, because I had the midnight watch. But, I stayed with the rest of the crew. Then, all of us had a Shabbat meal together - 15 different sailors said Kiddush, each in the custom of his fathers; I'm talking about guys that aren't (weren't) even religious! The meal was drawn out - I had a headache and was dying to sleep. The religious guys started to say the grace after the meal, and BOOOFF! The missile hit, but on the opposite end of the craft. It should have sank the boat, but it hit a crane right above the chopper landing pad. What a miracle! If that's not enough, the helicopter-refueling tank - filled to the gills with chopper fuel - didn't explode despite the fact that the whole end of the boat was burned..."

At least twenty other crewmen aboard the Hanit should have been killed, but they were saved by Shabbat dinner on the other end of the ship.

Moshe had beads of sweat on his forehead; tears glistened in his eyes. "The newspapers don't write about the miracles that we all saw. I ran to my bunk on the deck right below the landing pad. It was charcoal; my metal bunk was completely melted down and all my possessions were ashes. If I hadn't been detained in the chapel and in the dining hall for Shabbat meal, I'd have been charcoal too. I haven't stopped thanking Hashem since - I've changed my life..."

Moshe continued with more miracles, including the engine room burnt to a crisp but a pair of tefillin was found unscathed. If that's not enough, amidst the embers of destruction, the sailors found a Book of Psalms - also unscathed - opened to Psalm 124. Read Psalm 124 and your hair will stand up!

The train was nearing my station, so I gave Moshe a blessing and a fatherly embrace, and we parted. The Hanit took a direct hit from a Hizbulla missile, but Moshe has turned the navy's setback into a victory.

I have personally been convinced the story is completely accurate, and I think it fills in many details that explain several 'whys?' that never had answers last year. Notice the date of the post? I remember finding and even discussing it back then, but I had forgot about it until during my Q&A session last week.

Part #2 tomorrow.